Riddle Me This
by xxlilmusicxx
Summary: The war was lost. Voldemort had won, and her brother was dead, just as she should have been. But Fate decides to give Alexis Potter a chance to fix everything, sending her back in time sixty years. However, Fate never mentioned her having to parade around as Tom Riddle's twin sister. Warnings of False Twincest and Dumbledore bashing!
1. Chapter 1

**Hiya guys! This is my first take on a time-travel fic, featuring, of course, the Potter Twins. My other fics, "The Slytherin Side of Things" and "Behind Those Emerald Eyes" feature my own character, Alex, as well. Feel free to check them out if you're curious about her, but this story can still stand for itself.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** Tom Riddle Jr./Alex Potter, mentions of Harry/Draco, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, Blaise/Daphne and Past!Alex/Theo

**Warnings:** Language, Character Death, Adult Scenes, False Twincest, Sadism

* * *

It was pure and utter chaos.

There was no other way to describe it.

Curses soared violently through the air, thick clouds of smoke rose as vivid flames burnt down walls and towers. Harry could only watch with a great pain in his chest as the once magnificent castle of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the place he had called their home for almost seven years, was reduced to nothing but rubble. But as his eyed dragged over the battlefield, the pain grew, and his guilt seeped through his bones at the bodies that laid scattered and motionless on the pavement. They had lost so many.

Remus, who had been killed by Dolohov, and Tonks, who had been taken out by Bellatrix were one of the firsts to go. Alex had been devastated at the death of her godfather - much like he had been when he lost Sirius. He felt horrible, that unlike him, she had no time to mourn for someone she had considered a father to her - besides Snape.

Then there was Fred, who had been crushed by a brick wall after an explosion; George was hit by a stray killing curse. Molly and Arthur died together with Percy after they had reconciled, all at the hands of the Carrows. Countless of his friends had been caught in the crossfire as well: Oliver Wood, Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Alicia Spinnet, Neville Longbottom...

And Ginny... _his_ Ginny had been mauled by Fenrir Greyback. He had asked her to marry him, after the war was over. He had been overjoyed when she accepted, but now...

"HARRY!" someone yelled, but it didn't sound like Ron or Hermione - if they were even still alive.

He turned, ready to send out a curse, when a pair of familiar arms wrapped around him tightly. _Alex._

...

Alex threw spell after spell, blood and sweat trickling down her forehead, and bile rising up her throat when a jet of green light whizzed just by her ear. She was exhausted, and her head was pounding. When the Horcrux inside them had died, her mind link with Harry had been severed, but that didn't stop her from trying. Alex hissed when a slicing hex hit her right arm. Their luck was quickly running out, and so were their numbers. The guilt was also slowly, yet surely driving her mad.

Her friends were dead because of her.

The first to go was Blaise, who had returned from Italy to help them fight in the war despite his family being neutral. Daphne, who had been her first friend, was hit with a Sectumsempra while fighting by her side. Many Slytherins, in fact, had turned to their side to help her and paid dearly for it: Marcus Flint, Adrian Pucey, Terrence Higgs, Astoria Greengrass, Millicent Bulstrode, Tracey Davies...

... and Theo.

Alex choked back a sob at the thought of her boyfriend - well, _ex_-boyfriend now. He had taken a dark spell that had been aimed for her when her back was turned.

Even Draco Malfoy, who she had formed a hectic, unstable friendship with since the end of their third year, had gone against his father after his mother had been killed.

Harsh, insane laughter reached her ears, making her blood run cold. Voldemort. There was no mistaking it. The bastard was the reason everyone she loved had died, why her home was destroyed. She wanted the Dark Lord dead, so much that it scared her. Every fibre of her being radiated hatred for the snake, and she wanted nothing more than to rid him from the world. It was too much of a great ambition, even for a Slytherin.

She had easily spotted his bald, pale head amongst the destruction, towering behind a figure with messy black hair and raised his wand.

_No..._

Alex ran towards her twin, ignoring how much her legs ached, the blood from her cuts mingling with dirt and her sweat and blood and seeping through the fabric of her shirt. It seemed like everything was in slow motion, and she could see the tip of Voldemort's wand glow an eerie green.

"HARRY!" she called out to him.

Harry turned with his wand at the ready, just as Alex wrapped her arms around him tightly, the killing curse engulfing them both. Alex felt herself falling, Voldemort's mad cackles slowly becoming deaf to her ears as her world blurred, and everything went black.

* * *

Alex's eyes fluttered open and winced. The light was almost blinding, and painful. But as her vision had finally cleared, she had to blink again. Everything was white - and she meant _everything_. It didn't look like she was at Hogwarts anymore, so where was she? Where was Harry?

Her hand automatically reached for her wand in her pocket - only to find it missing. Her brows furrowed. What the - ?

"Confused, my dear?"

Alex turned. There before her stood a beautiful woman. Her bright amethyst eyes contrasted brilliantly with her fair skin, long auburn hair falling elegantly down to her waist. Her brilliant white dress clung to her well-shaped bust and hips, the skirt flowing down to her ankles.

Laughing at the Potter girl's stunned expression, the woman strode towards her with magnificent grace and stopped in front of the seventeen year old. She was much taller than Alex, and looked down at the teen.

Then, Alex's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Who are you?"

The woman chuckled. "My dear, I am Fate. And I am here to offer you a second chance."

"Second chance?" Alex choked, "Y-You mean I-I'm - "

"Dead?" Fate sighed, "I'm afraid so, my dear. But alas, it is not yet your time to go. You see without you and your brother, darkness has taken over your world without any good to balance it out."

"Voldemort won." Alex whispered brokenly. The bastard actually did it.

"He was not meant to win, my dear." said Fate. "You see, there is what I call a soul bond. Where there is good, there will always be an evil counterpart, and one cannot simply exist without the other. So far, there have only been five true soul mates in existence, all beginning from Merlin and Morgana."

"Then what does that have to do with me?"

Fate gave her a pointed look, smiling knowingly. Alex's eyes widened in horror.

"No... No way! Me and Voldemort are s-soulmates?" she squeaked. "NO! I refuse to believe it!"

Fate chuckled, "It would have been either you or your brother, but I'm afraid he already had his counterpart."

"Who?"

"I believe you know Draco Malfoy."

Now Alex was really at loss. Harry... and Malfoy? Soulmates? Oh, gross! The image would forever haunt the depths of her mind. That was something she did NOT want to picture!

"That is why I cannot send him."

Alex bit her lip. She wanted to set everything right, but she didn't know what she needed to fix. Voldemort was a loveless arse who only desired power, and would go out of his way to get it, and that included killing her and Harry and countless others who fought with them. "Then if what you're saying is true, then why did Voldemort win the war?"

"There was another soul bond, one that did not turn out as I had planned it." said Fate. "Grindlewald and Dumbledore." Alex sputtered at this. "Albus Dumbledore was not as light as I anticipated. While his intentions were meant to be for the greater good, fame and glory had changed him."

"But Dumbledore - "

"Was willing to risk your life to rid the world of a dark wizard he had intentionally created." snapped Fate, but then her gaze softened as it rested on the frightened girl. "I'm sorry, Miss Potter."

She felt betrayed. Dumbledore, the man she had looked up to since she was a mere eleven year old, had used her. Sure, there were times when Alex thought the man to be mad in some way, but he had been her hero. It just shows how foolish she had been, mindlessly following orders of a man who never even explained things to her, purposely kept her and Harry in the dark about everything. Now, Alex knew why.

"You must know, that there would be nothing that could stop the darkness lurking in Tom Riddle's soul." Fate hastily continued when Alex opened her mouth, "However, you can stop him from falling to the brink of insanity, and splitting his soul."

"If it will save them all, then I'll do whatever I can." Alex whispered determinedly.

Fate smiled sadly at the girl, and lifted a hand. Suddenly, Alex felt as if all the wind was knocked out of her, and she collapsed, eyes bulging, chest rising and falling rapidly onto the floor. The world began to spin around her, blurring into a mass of unsightly colors... and pain came crashing down on her.

It was worse than the Cruciatus. It was as if her bones were shifting breaking from the inside, crushed, piercing, prickling onto her flesh. Alex screamed loudly, drowning out the voice desperately calling her name.

* * *

**I know it isn't much as of yet, but it's only a prologue anyways. What do you guys think? Should I really continue this story? Please review and tell me what you think!**

**~Cassandra**


	2. Chapter 2

**And here's the second chapter. Just a fair warning for you lot. I may have made up some of the dates as the books and a few wikis weren't very specific about them - like the day Dumbledore visited Tom, for example.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

**Review Responses:**

**lostfeather1** - Thank you so much. I'm touched by your enthusiasm, though I have to admit you took me by surprise at first. :)

**HarryPotterGeek7-31** - I'm sorry if the false twincest thing made you a bit uncomfortable, but think of it this way, they're not really related. XD But I thank you anyway for the support.

**laurinda** - Thank you so much. I'm surprised my character doesn't annoy you though, seeing there are too many OCs in fandom that tend to get more than a bit bothersome. I was expecting Alex to be placed in that category as well.

**bkasavan** - My dear friend, observant as always. XD Haha, yes, that would be the same Alex. I suppose you can think of this as some sort of sequel if they had lost the war? Haha.

**ulqui's-girl** - Not a Ginny fan then, I take it? Yes, Harry and Malfoy would have been soul mates, but since Dumbledore screwed everything up, he ended up with Ginny.

**Cassie-D1** - Don't worry, I intend to. XD

**Cheshire-the-Assasin** - Thank you, thank you. :) As for the false twincest thing: When Alex is sent back in time, Fate made her Tom's twin. But since Alex was fully aware that she wasn't really related to him, I can't exactly call it 'twincest'. So I think 'false twincest' would fit, yeah?

**Thank you for all the great comments and continuous support to my stories, guys! It means a lot!**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** Tom Riddle Jr./Alex Potter, mentions of Harry/Draco, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, Blaise/Daphne and Past!Alex/Theo

**Warnings:** Language, Character Death, Adult Scenes, False Twincest, Sadism

"Speaking"

_'Thoughts'_

**"Parseltongue"**

* * *

"ALEX!" Someone called out to her. The sound was both familiar and foreign to her ears. Harry? Had it all been just a dream? Was her brother still alive? "Alex, wake up! Please, wake up!"

Alex's eyes fluttered open. Everything was blurry at first, and she couldn't make out the face looming over hers. She felt... different somehow. Her body ached, her throat was sore - from all her screaming, she expected - and she felt immensely weak, sweat trickling down her forehead.

Dark green eyes swam into focus, and an image of Harry looking down at her swam forth in her mind. But when her vision finally cleared, the image had gone faster than she had thought it up. This boy wan't Harry. His hair was too smooth - too _neat_ - and his face a tad bit paler, his features sharper. His voice - innocent yet refined with deceit buried beneath if you bothered to look deep enough. And his eyes - his eyes were now noticeably a shade darker than Harry's, having none of the love and warmth that Harry's had. It, however, held a tinge of concern.

She didn't know this boy, and at the same time she did. There was no mistaking that face she had seen too often in Dumbledore and Harry's memories.

"Tom?" she croaked. "Is that you?"

Relief flooded Tom's eyes and he reached out and brushed her sweaty fringe away from her face, before resting his cold hand on her cheek. Alex refrained from wincing at the contact. Her parents and brother's _murderer_ - child or not, it didn't matter to her - was touching her, as if they were close, as if they knew each other their whole lives.

"Yes, it's me." he said comfortingly, but it only made her insides churn all the more, "I'm here, sister."

Alex's eyes widened at this. SISTER?! So they really had known each other their whole lives? And by the looks of it, they were extremely close too. _Fate,_ Alex thought somberly, _What have you done?_

"I'm worried, Alex. You've been having a lot of nightmares recently." said Tom, pulling her into a sitting position, and into his embrace. She didn't resist. She was too shocked, too confused to do anything. She was confused as to how the most feared wizard in history could harbor such soft feelings, when he had always seen it as weakness. She was confused as to why in Merlin's name did Fate turn her into Riddle's sister. She was confused as to why she felt safe in his cold arms, as if she belonged there.

_Damn you, Fate._

"I have?" Alex mumbled dazedly. "I don't remember."

"You look feverish." said Tom, worry lacing his tone, moving her to arm's length to glimpse at her face, "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Fine." Alex whispered, "Just tired is all." It was only partly a lie, she did feel rather weak. Her limbs were still feeling the after effects of whatever spell Fate had placed on her.

"If you're sure." Tom said, "Why don't you get dressed? Everyone else will be up soon."

Alex nodded and complied wordlessly, getting a chance to look around the room. It was a small, dull grey room. It was shabby but clean with an old wardrobe, a couple of hard wooden chairs, a full-length mirror, and by the looks of it, she and Tom shared an iron bedstead.

Alex tried to ignore the pain in her limbs as she moved off the bed, and opened the wardrobe, blinking at the sight of her and Tom's uniforms. There were a bunch of white button-up shirts and grey ties, plain grey jumpers, white knee socks, and a black dress shoes. Tom had pretty much the same thing, except he had an overcoat, and wore dark pants instead of a jumper.

She looked back to where Tom was sitting, staring at her with intense forest green eyes. It was scary how they seemed almost evil-looking, even on the face of a supposedly innocent eleven year-old boy. A shiver ran down her spine at the look, and she hastily schooled her features, hoping to Merlin that the discomfort wasn't noticeable.

"Tom?" she called softly. Tom blinked, his eyes meeting hers and he nodded.

He stood and headed for the door, but stopped short and said, "Call me when you're finished." as he shut the door behind him. Alex shook her head at this, and grabbed her uniform off the wardrobe, redressing hastily. If Tom was anything like Voldemort, then Alex knew he wasn't necessarily a patient person.

What was Fate thinking? His sister - honestly!

Alex sighed heavily, glancing herself over the mirror. She looked pretty much the same, yet so different. Her skin was pale like Tom's, her features a little sharper and more defined - somewhat aristocratic - and her once shoulder-length, wavy black hair was now pin straight and glossy, reaching her lower back. _Glossy! _Alex was relieved though, when she found herself gazing at a pair of familiar emerald green eyes - her mother and brother's eyes - _her_ eyes. Fate had let her keep that, at least. But the ghost of a smile that graced her lips vanished as soon as she had noticed something else. She was... shorter? No, she was... younger! Her face held some sort of innocence to it, like when she had been a clueless eleven year old.

She gasped. Oh sweet Salazar, she - she was eleven again!

"Alex? Are you all right in there?" Tom called from just outside the door.

"I'm fine." she called back. By the Basilisk's tooth, had her voice always been this soft? No, even that had somewhat changed. "You can come in now, Tom."

Tom strode back into the room, and it was only then that Alex had noticed that he was already in uniform. His hair was neatly combed to the side, and he seemed to be scowling.

"Something the matter, brother?" Alex couldn't help but ask, yet the words tasted bitter in her mouth. This wasn't her brother; this wasn't Harry. She held nothing but contempt for this boy, knowing what he would someday become - soul mate or not. And how exactly was that supposed to work? Apparently they were supposed to be related. Alex mentally snorted. No, she could never see the twat as her brother. But for all Tom knew, she had been by his side his whole life, yet she knew nothing about him besides what she had seen in memories. She had seen how cunning and manipulative he was, even at the age of eleven.

"Nothing to worry yourself over, sister." Tom smirked. Did the boy ever smile? She wondered. "Would you like me to brush your hair again?" he offered.

Again. So she actually allowed the bastard to touch her?

_A bit hypocritical of me, considering we are supposed to be related now._ she thought to herself idly, _I suppose that makes me a bastard too. I really need to come up with better insults._

Alex could only nod. Tom grabbed the worn hairbrush rested on one of the hard wooden chairs, and motioned for Alex to sit back down on the bed. She hesitantly complied, Tom sitting behind her, and began to run the brush through her silky tresses.

Alex let out a breath and closed her eyes, partly in relaxation, partly in sadness. Theo used to do this a lot, especially when she was stressed. They would spend hours sitting in the Slytherin common room, talking about nothing in particular, while Theo absentmindedly ran a hand through her hair. Then Blaise would usually crack some horrible joke to break the tension, Daphne slapping him on the head afterwards. Then, Astoria would laugh, and Draco would smirk at the display, calling Blaise an idiot. Oh, how she missed them all.

"Something's troubling you." Tom stated, placing the brush down to run his hands through her hair. He always did love her hair, it was one of her best features, making her look more elegant and mature, and smooth on his finger tips. But he loved her eyes more.

"It's nothing." Alex replied, and Tom's eyes narrowed.

"Tell me." he demanded.

"I..." Alex paused, uneasy, "I just have a feeling something is wrong, but I don't know what it is."

The suspicion in Tom's features eased slightly, and he nodded his head, "Then I suggest we be careful. You've never been wrong about these things before."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing, Tom?" She asked him.

"It's a good thing, of course. You're special, Alex - we're special."

Alex opened her mouth to speak again, when a loud bell interrupted them. She could hear the hushed whispers from the other orphans as they passed outside their door, but she didn't catch what they were saying.

Tom stood, holding his hand out for Alex to take, "Let's go. It's time for breakfast."

* * *

Alex now fully understood why Tom despised the orphanage, along with the people living in it. It was no better than living with the Dursleys. The other orphans - along with the matron, Mrs. Cole, and her assistant, Martha - talked about them behind their backs, thought they were freaks. They were _afraid_ of the Riddles. Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop seemed utterly terrified, in fact. This alone bothered her; whatever she and Tom had done, it wasn't good in the least. Then there was this boy names Billy Stubbs.

Alex hated him.

After a couple of weeks loving in the orphanage, she found him to be arrogant and cocky, loud and obnoxious - even more so than Draco Malfoy had been before they had formed their unstable friendship. He seemed more keen on insulting her more than he did Tom, probably because she was a girl, and he thought it would have been easy.

The idiot.

One morning, in the middle of breakfast, his glass exploded in his hands when Mrs. Cole wasn't looking, shards drawing blood as they embedded themselves in his hands.. However, it hadn't been Tom's doing. Alex felt a sense of smug satisfaction wash over her as she eyed everyone else with warning, and next to her, Tom smirked.

They watched as Mrs. Cole fussed over the boy, tending to him while sending Tom and Alex a suspicious look as she did. The twins merely continued eating their bowl of tasteless porridge as if nothing happened.

But on the inside, Alex was panicking. What had she done? She'd never felt so happy that she'd manage to hurt a person - turning Aunt Marge into a balloon didn't count, neither did slapping Draco - but to really want to hurt someone, to torture them, make them suffer immensely, it was different. And for what? A few mere insults? She'd received worse from Ron and her fellow Slytherins. The only other time she had ever felt that way, was when Bellatrix murdered Sirius in the Department of Ministries. She knew how much Sirius had meant to Harry, and it pained her to see him suffer like he did. Of course, she had been upset too, but Harry had known the man far better than she did.

After breakfast, Alex hastily retreated to their room, Tom following close behind. As soon as the door shut, she started trembling. It felt like something was eating her up from the inside.

Tom wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. "I don't understand why you always feel guilty." he said. "It's not like he didn't deserve it."

"I didn't mean to do it." she whispered, though it wasn't exactly what she was upset about.

"I know you didn't." he consoled, and rubbed her back soothingly.

She wanted to scream at him to get away from her. What happened to the temperamental Slytherin that stood her ground for what she fought for? What happened to the girl that opposed her house to stand by her brother?

Her brother - she had yet to accept the fact that Tom was supposed to be her twin now. Yet she hated the fact that she seemed so dependent on him for comfort. She was certain Fate didn't send her back to kill him and be done with it.

_Where there is good, there will always be an evil counterpart, and one cannot simply exist without the other._

Did that mean she couldn't exist without Tom?

_"But Dumbledore - "_

_"Was willing to risk your life to rid the world of a dark wizard he had intentionally created."_

Dumbledore. He was the reason Tom had become Voldemort. He _wanted_ Tom to turn into Voldemort. He had been a victim of Dumbledore's game as well, and it irked her how she had just let herself be manipulated. For the greater good, yeah right!

_"You must know, that there would be nothing that could stop the darkness lurking in Tom Riddle's soul. However, you can stop him from falling to the brink of insanity, and splitting his soul."_

She promised she would save everyone, and she would. But first, she had to save Tom Riddle. But how? What happened with Billy was just a taste of the thrill, it seemed - the thrill of hurting others. Everyday, Alex felt herself becoming more and more like Tom, and it scared her to her wits end.

* * *

_July 26, 1938_

He was finally here. Personally, Alex had been wondering when Dumbledore would show up to collect them. Her feelings for the old man had changed a lot, yet she was excited. She would get to go back to Hogwarts, and hopefully, she wouldn't have as much of a hard time. She didn't have to worry about anyone killing her now, and she would be able to ease up a bit during lessons. Ah, the perks of being a seventeen year old in an eleven year old's body.

She could hear them just outside their door - him and Mrs. Cole - speaking in hushed tones. She already knew what they were talking about, so she needn't listen in. Finally, a knock came, and Mrs. Cole opened the door.

"Tom, Alex? You've got a visitor. This is Mr. Dumberton — sorry, Dunderbore. He's come to tell you — well, I'll let him do it." said Mrs. Cole, and she left them.

"How do you do, children?" said Dumbledore, walking further into the room.

Tom and Alex, who were both sitting at the edge of their bed, turned to look at him simultaneously, their eyes narrowed - Tom's in suspicion, Alex's in curiosity. So this was the young Professor Dumbledore. His beard was shorter, and darker, as was his hair. He also had less wrinkled yet still wore those eccentric, bright colored robes.

Dumbledore was startled as he glanced between the twins. There was no trace of the Gaunts in either of the Riddle's faces. Merope had got her dying wish: they looked nothing like her. Their eyes in particular intrigued him. Tom's were dark, cold and calculating, while Alex's was bright, wary and mischievous. It was the only difference between them that he deemed notable - gender aside.

The twins' wary gazes followed him as he sat on one of the wooden chairs, right across from them, and Dumbledore didn't miss how Tom's arm encircled his sister's waist possessively.

"You're a doctor, aren't you?" said Tom suddenly, "She wants you to have a look at me."

"No. I'm a Professor." insisted Dumbledore.

"I don't believe you. If it's not me, is it my sister then?" Tom asked with an edge to his tone that made Alex glance at him in worry, his hold on her waist tightening, "She wants to take Alex away from me, doesn't she?"

"Oh no, dear boy, no one is separating you from your sister."

"Why should we trust you?" Alex spoke, her voice even. _How indeed, Dumbledore?_ "How could we believe that you are any different from every other person who thinks we're odd?" _Odd, dark, evil, easily manipulated..._

"Perhaps in a way, you are odd."

Tom was quick to protest, "We're not mad."

"Hogwarts is not a place for mad people, son. Hogwarts is a school - a school of magic." Alex caught the shift in Tom's expression, no matter how subtle. He was interested. "You can both do things, can't you? Things other children can't do,"

"I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who are mean to me and my sister. I can make them hurt if I want to." Tom said, and glanced at Alex, who met his eyes before directing her attention to Dumbledore.

_Don't let him think you already know too much._

"I can move things too. I can make them explode, if I'm angry enough." she explained, "Who are you?"

"I'm like you and Tom, Alex." said Dumbledore, and added in a lower tone, "I'm different."

"Prove it," Tom demanded.

Without warning, their wardrobe caught on fire, yet didn't burn. A flame-freezing charm, maybe? Alex wondered at she stared at the flames.

"I think there is something trying to get out of your wardrobe."

Alex frowned. And sure enough, a faint rattling could be heard from inside it. For the first time, Tom looked frightened. Tom hesitated, then crossed the room and threw open the wardrobe door. On the topmost shelf, above a rail of threadbare clothes, a small metal box was shaking and rattling as though there were several frantic mice trapped inside it. Tom took it out of the wardrobe, before spilling its contents onto the bed. A mess of small, everyday objects: a yo-yo, a silver thimble, and a tarnished mouth organ among them.

"Thievery is not tolerated at Hogwarts, son." Tom looked up at Dumbledore, then glanced at his sister. Much to his relief, she didn't look the least bit abashed by the box's contents. She merely stared at him with a glint in her eye, like she knew what he had been keeping.

"At Hogwarts," Dumbledore went on, "we teach you not only to use magic, but to control it. Do you understand?"

Much later, Dumbledore had given them their letters, a pouch full of money for their school supplies, and directions to Diagon Alley as either twin refused to let him accompany them. Alex was relieved - thankful - when Dumbledore finally moved to leave. When she was sure that the old man was gone - apparated, more likely - she immediately turned to Tom.

"Why did you do it?" she asked him.

"They being mean to me, Alex. I didn't -"

A small smile flitted upon her pinkish lips, "I'm not mad. I was only asking why you did it."

Tom blinked, "Oh,"

"I don't trust him, you know." Alex said, after a moment's silence.

"Who?"

"Dumbledore - I don't trust him."

Tom chuckled, "I know. I don't either. Why did you think I didn't tell him that we could talk to snakes?"

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed this. Please review and tell me what you think!**

**~Cassandra**


	3. Chapter 3

**And here's the third chapter, finally posted. Just a fair warning for you lot. I may have made up some of the dates as the books and a few wikis weren't very specific about them - like the day Dumbledore visited Tom, for example.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

**Review Responses:**

**lostfeather1 - **I wouldn't say powerful, just more experienced. In time, Tom would be just as - if not more - powerful than she is, considering his intelligence. Alex may be cunning, but she's no Hermione.

**Cassie-D1** - Probably by fifth to sixth year. XD I'm going to do a time-skip, so the wait won't be necessary.

**ulqui's-girl** - Finally, someone who understands! Yeah, I guess people do view Alex as a female Harry (in Slytherin), only more tempermental, and not as reckless. XD

**Cheshire-the-Assasin **- It's no trouble at all. I'm actually glad you're curious, and I love answering questions. :) I'm going to be putting tidbits of their first to fourth years, then the story would resume in fifth year, when Tom starts looking for the Chamber of Secrets. Again, I really appreciate the support!

**bkasavan** - Thank you. :) Yes, I guess I should have waited, but the idea was too good to pass up and forget later. XD

**Aiseki0Hikari** - Indeed. But Alex expected it, bar the twin sister thing, so she didn't need to spaz about it. Not out loud, at least. I take it your a fan of slash (aka Drarry) then? XD I hope the whole false twincest thing didn't bother you too much.

**HarryPotterGeek7-31** - It's mostly based on fifth year because Umbridge is there, and you know how much people love toad bashing! XD

**Ana (Lady S) **- It's M-Rated for the warnings below *wink wink* I also update often, so not to worry.

**AvalonTheLadyKiller** - Thank you, thank you. It means a lot that you enjoy reading this story, and I shall try my best. :) Alex has quite a temper, so it's only natural that she would have the tendency to fight back when the situation calls for it, or when she feels awfully passionate about something. I'll also keep the Quidditch thing in mind. ;)

**Thank you for all the great comments and continuous support to my stories, guys! It means a lot!**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** Tom Riddle Jr./Alex Potter, mentions of Harry/Draco, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, Blaise/Daphne and Past!Alex/Theo

**Warnings:** Language, Character Death, Adult Scenes, False Twincest, Sadism

"Speaking"

_'Thoughts'_

**"Parseltongue"**

* * *

The following day, the twins had gotten permission from Mrs. Cole to go around London. The matron had been reluctant of course - she trusted neither of them - yet everyone in the orphanage were quite pleased to have them gone for the afternoon. When both of them had entered the Leaky Cauldron, Tom was rather irked upon learning that he shared a name with the barman, who had gladly helped them into Entering Diagon Alley. As the brick wall moved aside, Alex smiled, remembering the first time Hagrid had taken her and Harry.

She peered around curiously. There were a few shops she didn't recognize. There was no Madame Malkin's, no Zonko's, and in place of Florish and Blotts was another book shop called Tomes and Scrolls. And there was a pang in her chest when she caught sight of where Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes should have been standing instead of a Ministry Office building.

"Interesting place, isn't it?" Tom's voice pierced through her thoughts. Alex blinked and turned to him.

"Pardon?"

"This place is rather interesting."

"We've just entered part of the Wizarding world, and all you can say is that it's interesting?"

Tom smirked, "How would you describe it then?"

"Oh, I don't know," Alex smiled sardonically, "I'd say it's magical, wouldn't you?" Tom chuckled at her obvious sarcasm.

They had gotten their books, robes, and other necessary supplies. Finally, they were to head to Ollivander's to get their wands. Alex nearly skipped with excitement. The moment she realized her wand was no longer with her, she would have thrown a fit if not for Tom being there, watching her curiously as she dug almost frantically through their wardrobe, hoping by some chance that her wand was hidden beneath the pile of clothing.

"Ah, Mr. Riddle, Miss Riddle, I wondered when I'd be seeing you both." There standing at the front desk of the shop, was a younger Garrick Ollivander.

Dumbledore excluded, Alex was more than happy to come across a familiar, yet not so familiar face. The Ollivander in her time had been killed by Voldemort after the man had refused to disclose any information on the Elder Wand.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Ollivander." Alex greeted politely, biting her lip to keep the off smile that threatened to show. "We're here to get our wands."

She didn't miss the 'duh!' look on Tom's face as she said this, but chose to ignore it.

"Ah, of course Miss Riddle! Lady's first... Now, please hold out your wand arm." Alex held out her right hand, not seemingly bothered by the tape measures gloating about.

Was her wand still here? Most likely, since no one had taken it in the future. Would it still choose her, even after everything? She didn't know. She always assumed that her and Harry's wands had picked them because they were destined to defeat Voldemort.

_One simply can't exist without the other._

No, they were meant to be equals... That's why Voldemort couldn't kill them with his own wand...

Damn you, Dumbledore. Damn you, Fate. This soul mate crap is getting awfully aggravating.

An image of Harry and Draco was brought forth in her mind, and Alex nearly reeled back in shock. She mentally shuddered. Nasty! _And here I thought I knew everything about him. Apparently not. I was only kidding about the crush thing when he started stalking Malfoy back in sixth year._

"Miss Riddle?"

Alex looked up to see Ollivander holding out a mahogany coloured wand to her. "Yes, yes... Ten inches, Mahogany wood with unicorn hair, rather supple."

She gave it a wave, breaking the vase on the desk. Tom blinked at the sight, and Alex put down the wand at once.

"Not quite," said Ollivander, "How about this... Thirteen inches, ebony wood with phoenix feather, rigid."

Alex smiled, grasping the wand firmly in her hand. A familiar warmth spread throughout her body, white sparks shooting out from the tip. It felt good to be reunited. Ollivander smiled as well, but for an entirely different reason.

"Well done, Miss Riddle! Mind you dear, this is a rather stubborn wand."

_Just like its owner._ She could practically hear Harry's voice echoing wryly in her head. Tom, who had been watching the whole thing with interest, eagerly stepped forward for his turn.

"Your wand arm, Mr. Riddle?"

Tom held out his right hand, like Alex had done, and stared at the floating tape measures curiously. Alex was distinctly reminded of Harry.

_No!_ She scolded herself. _This is the future Dark Lord! He and Harry are NOTHING alike!_ Yet, she began to doubt. The Voldemort she knew and had come to despise with every fibre of her being was a heartless, snake-faced bastard who knew no emotion but anger, and enjoyment for another's pain. But looking at the young Tom Riddle; she had seen him angry, envious, concerned, sad, and - dare she say - playful, but she had yet to see him truly happy. He had shown her his emotions, something the Dark Lord could have never done as he was deemed incapable of doing so.

_Time-travel has officially messed with my brain,_ Alex thought bitterly.

"Here you are, Mr Riddle... Thirteen and a half inches, yew and phoenix feather, rather pliable." Alex's ears perked up just as Ollivander said this, and watched intently as Tom held the wand in his hand. She could practically feel the magic pulsing around him, green sparks emitting from the tip of his newly acquired wand.

Tom grinned.

"A very powerful wand indeed, Mr. Riddle. I trust that you shall do great things with it in the future."

_You-Know-Who did great things, terrible but great._

Alex truly felt like she had her work cut out for her. Trying to prevent a future Dark Lord from delving into the Dark Arts was like trying to take drugs from a drug addict - damn near impossible. There was no way she could stop him from wanting to find out about his parents - he deserved to know this, at least - or discovering his heritage and Salazar's hidden chamber. Now, she just had to stop him from splitting his soul and turning into a loveless, emotionless psychopath.

How exactly was she supposed to do that?

Sweet Circe, she was going to die before her seven years at Hogwarts were over.

"Curious, very curious." remarked Ollivander wistfully.

"Sorry? What's curious?" Tom and Alex chorused, and blinked once they had realized they had said the exact same thing at the exact same time. Right, twins.

Ollivander chuckled. "Why, I vaguely remember each wand I've made. The phoenix feather in your wands happen to come from the same bird, along with one other I haven't sold yet."

_Harry..._ Alex internally sighed.

"So you're saying our wands are like... brothers?" inquired Tom, and Ollivander nodded.

"I suppose you could put it that way, yes."

"Interesting..."

Alex groaned, "Honestly, Tom? Have you no other adjectives?"

Tom's grin widened considerably, as he went to pay for their wands.

* * *

_September 1, 1938_

It was just like how she remembered it in her Hogwarts days, and it was amazing how it brought back so many brilliant memories, save for the dementor attack in third year. She didn't think she'd be able to ride it again, after everything. Yet, here she was, standing before the Hogwarts Express with her so-called brother.

"Amazing, isn't it?" She smiled. But Tom did not respond. He was too busy eyeing the train, and the odd crowd of people around them. "It's not polite to stare, Tom."

This time, Tom did turn to her, a small smirk plastered on his face. "Let's find an empty compartment then, shall we? I don't fancy sharing one with a bunch of rowdy children."

Alex rolled her eyes at him, and moved to board the train, Tom following close behind.

It didn't take long for them to find an empty compartment at the end of the train, as they were one of the first few who had boarded. Moments later, it started filling up. People chatters as they passed the twins' compartment, but no one bothered to enter. For this, Tom was thankful.

Unfortunately, a boy about their age joined them moments later. Alex easily recognised the mass of platinum blonde hair, the the boy's pointed face and sharp features, and the haughty air that surrounded him. There was no doubt in her mind that this boy was a Malfoy.

"Mind if I sit with you?" he asked.

Alex turned to Tom, who in turn, met her stare and shrugged. "I do not see why not."

The boy gave a curt nod in thanks, and sat next to Tom, across from Alex. "I'm Malfoy, by the way. Abraxas Malfoy." He held his hand out to Tom, who shook it after the slightest hesitation.

"I'm Tom Riddle, and this is my sister: Alex."

Alex merely gave a nod in acknowledgement. But inside, she couldn't help but feel both amused and sullen. Oh, Draco. She missed the bloody git. Stupid ferret, he just had to look and act like his grandfather, didn't he? Knowing him, it wouldn't be long until Abraxas would inquire them on their blood status.

"Pleasure to meet you both." he said, "And if I may ask, what is your status?"

Ah, there was the million galleon question.

Tom blinked. "Sorry, status?"

Abraxas raised a fine eyebrow, his tone becoming somewhat stiff, "Yes, your blood status. Are you both purebloods, half-bloods, or mudbloods."

At the last word, Alex's eyes narrowed angrily at the young Malfoy. She despised that word, and people who had the gull to use it. "We're not _muggleborns_, if that's what you mean." she snapped, and both Tom and Abraxas were surprised at her sudden change of mood.

Alex, however, had another matter on her mind. She could never forget Hermione Granger, one of Harry's best friends and brightest witch of her age, and the one who had outwitted even the most high-ranking purebloods and countlessly saved their lives due to her extensive knowledge. Yet, the girl was muggleborn, and not to mention, terribly underestimated. How she wanted to voice this out, but couldn't. She had to remember, this wasn't Draco. So she didn't speak after that, and neither did the boys. But she felt Tom's odd glances at her every once in a while, and she couldn't stop the heat that rushed to her cheeks as she cursed herself for her stupidity... and her big mouth.

At least she knew her temper was back, though it wasn't entirely a good thing.

* * *

If there was one thing Tom Riddle hated, it was not knowing things, so it was only natural to be curious of his sister's odd behavior. He had noticed, of course, the slight changes in her, even during their time at the orphanage. He noticed how often she was lost in her thoughts, and how wary she was of everyone, himself included. The fact alone worried him.

When she had snapped at Malfoy, he could feel a sort of warm energy crackling around her. It felt good, relaxing even. The sensation prickled at his skin, travelling uto his arms and down his spine, making him shudder a bit, but the action had thankfully gone unnoticed. Then... it was gone. He glanced at Alex tentatively, only to find her face impassive as she stared out the window, though he didn't miss the the flush of her cheeks. She was blushing. Something bubbled in the pit of his stomach, but he brushed the feeling away as they continued their train ride in silence.

When nightfall came, Abraxas, Alex, and Tom had already changed into their robes (Tom had kicked Abraxas out of the compartment for Alex to change, and Alex had kicked Tom out). He could see Alex's eyes glitter, a small smile flitting across her lips as they neared their destination. Was it happiness? Excitement? He wasn't sure, but he certainly liked it.

* * *

"Malfoy, Abraxas!"

The blonde gave them a grin before he sauntered off to the front and seated himself on the stool. It had barely touched his head before it cried out, "SLYTHERIN!" Abraxas then hopped off the stool, and strode towards the sea of students wearing green and silver ties, all whom were politely applauding.

Alex knew Tom was nervous, even if he was doing a very good job at hiding it. He had told her, back at the orphanage, that he wanted to be in Slytherin. He had read about the houses in Hogwarts: A History - and he could give Hermione a run for her money in Alex's opinion - and he was worried that he would not be accepted into such an exclusive house, mostly due to their unknown bloodline. She knew though, that he would be accepted, and soon become one of the darkest wizards of all time.

Hopefully, that would change.

The sorting conitnued.

Macnair - Mallory - McGonagall - Mulciber - Nott - Parkinson - Prince...

"Riddle, Alexis!"

Despite herself, Alex gave Tom an easy smile, and walked up to the front, taking her seat on the stool. She didn't miss those dark green eyes settling on her in a penetrating stare before the Sorting Hat was placed on her head, blocking her line of sight.

_**So I've sorted you before, I**** see.**_

Alex jumped, terror suddenly flooding her. How did the hat know?

_**My dear, I am connected with my past and future self. I know all those I have, and will sort.**_

_Will you tell anyone?_

**_No, no. That secret shall remain with us. I am forbidden to speak of what stirs within a student's mind._**

_Thank you._

_**I think it is time you go back to your chosen house, is it not? You shall be, or have been, a brilliant addition**** to...**_

"SLYTHERIN!"

The Slytherins applauded politely as they did for every other first year sorted into their house. Alex ignored most of them, and promptly seated herself between Abraxas, and a boy she distinctly recalled to be Edmund Lestrange. Both nodded to her in acknowledgement. Dear Merlin, she was sitting between two of Voldemort's first Death Eaters!

"Riddle, Thomas!"

Alex found herself crossing her fingers under the table as Tom sat on the stool, his eyes meeting hers just as the hat was placed over his head. It wasn't long - about seven seconds, in fact - before the hat cried out, "SLYTHERIN!"

There was a new sense of satisfaction in Tom's eyes, all his nerves long forgotten as he moved to sit next to Alex. Edmund scooted over to make room for Tom, and Alex smiled at him in thanks.

"And you were worried that you couldn't get into Slytherin." Alex whispered to him when he seated himself, and Tom chuckled.

"Yes, well... Now I see my worry was unnecessary." he told her.

Yes, unnecessary indeed. So why did she feel like something was not right? Perhaps it was because Dumbledore was staring intently at the pair of them, and he didn't look thrilled either. Or maybe it was because the Parkinson chit was glaring at her for sitting next to Abraxas.

_And again,_ Alex mused, _I'll have to sleep with one eye open._

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed this. Please review and tell me what you think!**

**~Cassandra**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it took a while for me to post this chapter guys. I've been quite busy, but I'm sure you don't want to sit there and read up my boring excuses, so I'll just go on with the story. :)**

**Just a fair warning for you lot. I may have made up some of the dates as the books and a few wikis weren't very specific about them - like the day Dumbledore visited Tom, for example.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

**Review Responses:**

**AvalonTheLadyKiller** - When you say 'push thoughts at the other', do you mean like a mind-link sort of way? And of course, there's a little 'meeting the ancestor' scene in this chapter just for you. I quite enjoyed writing it. XD Again, I can't thank you enough for your encouragement.

**ulqui's-girl** - Yes, there will be a time skip, with snippets of their first to fourth years of course. :)

**bkasavan** - Not much of a spoiler, really. More of an... alternative ending? Haha. Anyways, if Tom will be redeemed, you shall find out soon. X)

**Em** - In a way, she is. I'll be explaining things as the story progresses.

**Thank you for all the great comments and continuous support to my stories, guys! It means a lot!**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** Tom Riddle Jr./Alex Potter, mentions of Harry/Draco, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, Blaise/Daphne and Past!Alex/Theo

**Warnings:** Language, Character Death, Adult Scenes, False Twincest, Sadism

"Speaking"

_'Thoughts'_

**"Parseltongue"**

* * *

Alex held her breath as she listened intently from her hiding place, the passage behind the one-eyed witch statue Fred and George had told her and Harry about. She had noticed how much he had been watching her, following her quite frequently. He always had that intense look in his eyes, an emotion she couldn't quite decipher. It was very disconcerting. Whenever they were together - heck, even when they were apart - she could feel his eyes on her. If not him, he'd send someone to keep an eye on her.

She sighed deeply as the footsteps finally disappeared, her back tiredly leaning against the wall of the narrow passageway.

* * *

_October 31, 1938_

_"I told you I'm fine." Alex assured her 'brother'._

_Tom however did not look convinced as he eyes her near-empty plate._ _"You aren't eating."_

_"Yes, I am."_

_"I' would hardly call a couple of cookies a meal, sister."_

_"I'm not that hungry." __However, Alex's stomach betrayed her, grumbling loudly enough for both Tom and Alex to hear. Tom wordlessly scooped up a spoon-full of his pudding, and holding it up to Alex's mouth. Alex, stubborn as she was, turned away._

_Tom sighed. "You aren't making this easy, are you?"_

_Reaching out, Tom gently placed a hand on Alex's cheek, turning her head so she was facing him again. Alex shivered slightly at the cold contact, her emerald eyes looking up to meet his forest green ones. They flashed with an unreadable emotion, but Tom shook his head, breaking their eye contact, and holding the spoon up to her lips._

_"Eat." he told her firmly. Alex eyed the spoon as if it held poison, but slowly - and very much reluctantly - opened her mouth._

_Tom force-fed her throughout dinner until he was satisfied with how much she had eaten. He had ignored how all the other girls had swooned, squealing how he was ageing such a 'sweet brother'. Alex nearly snorted at that. 'Tom Riddle' and 'sweet' simply did not belong together, not even in the same sentence._

* * *

_February 2, 1939_

_She sat on her favourite spot by the lake, leaning against a tree stump with an open book inn her lap. If Harry had been there, he would have dragged her to the Quidditch pitch, not that she would complain. It was the perfect weather for flying: there was not a dark cloud in the sky, and it was nice and breezy. She had briefly contemplated on trying out for the Quidditch team, but who was she kidding? Men in the forties were no better than the sexist arses in the nineties. Women were discriminated all the same, only here, it was worse. Women were simply trophy wives, nothing more; they didn't play sports, they didn't even duel!_

_No wonder these people had such low defenses. The girls here were such bloody pansies. At least Pansy Parkinson's could duel, Alex had thought, the girls here couldn't cast a proper shield a harm to save their lives._

_"Sickle for your thoughts?" Alex's head snapped up. Tom stood only a couple of feet from her, a smirk plastered on his lips, and his own book tucked safely under his arm._

_"Pardon?"_

_"You haven't turned that page for nearly ten minutes. What's bothering you?"_

_Alex's eyes narrowed warily, and Tom's smirk fell. "It's none of your business. And how long have you been watching me?"_

_Tom ignored her question, silently seating himself right next to her - a little too close to her in her opinion. "You've been straying from me, sister." he crooned, running his hands down her arms, and sending unpleasant chills down Alex's spine. "Why is that?"_

_"It's nothing." Alex cringed when Tom's eyes hardened, and his hands gripped her wrists firmly._

_"Tell me." he demanded. "Why is it that you avoid me, and instead, you choose to spend your time with those foolish, lowly Gryffindors."_

_"I don't have to tell you anything." Alex retorted angrily, her eyes blazing, "You do not have any say about whom I choose to be friends with." She yanked her arms from his grasp, snapping her book shut as she stood. "I'll see you in the common room."_

_She could still feel Tom's furious gaze boring into her back as she trudged up the castle._

* * *

_August 21, 1939_

_Her head was pounding, and her body was shivering. She felt strange, but not sick. She had no cold or temperature, and was not nauseated in the least. But she felt as if something was missing. Oddly enough, she couldn't remember when she had climbed into her bed. Last she could recall, she had been outside, conversing with one of the garden snakes. She was distinctly aware of the hand that brushed through her locks._

_"What are you doing?" she asked plainly._

_Tom chuckled, and Alex could feel his chest vibrating with his low laughter behind her. He was too close. "Hush now, Alex, and go to sleep. They won't be able to hurt you now."_

_What?_

_Alex shifted her position, so she was laying on the bed, facing Tom._

_Tom had his head propped on his elbow as he laid down sideways on the bed, facing Alex. He had an oddly smug and satisfied look on his face, making the ravenette look up at him, suspicious. "Tom, what happened? What did you do?"_

_Tom blinked, his expression contorting into one of confusion, "Do you not remember?"_

_"I would not be asking if I did." Alex snapped, "Now what happened?"_

_"Never you mind. It's nothing to concern yourself with, sister." Tom said, and smiled. Alex was momentarily stunned. Tom had smiled! The world must be ending. "Now get some more sleep. It's rather late."_

_Alex knew it was no coincidence that Billy Stubbs had walked around the orphanage the following day, covered in bandages and rather large bite marks, refusing to look either twin in the eye._

* * *

_September 29, 1940_

_"No."_

_Alex's cheeks flushed in anger, "Why not?" She hissed. "I'm perfectly capable."_

_"You could hurt yourself." said Tom, looking up from one of the older books he had borrowed from the library's restricted section, "And it is unbecoming of a lady to indulge in sports."_

_"Oh please -"_

_"You are not trying out for the Quidditch team - and that is my final word on the matter." Tom interrupted as Alex's mouth opened to protest once more. Alex's expression was caught between scowling and pouting._

_"The Gryffindors and Ravenclaws have girls on their team." She argued._

_"That is because they do not possess proper pure blood mannerisms."_

_"Neither do I."_

_Tom glared, "And here lies our problem, sister. Your mannerisms are rather... crude. It is unbecoming of a lady, much less a Slytherin."_

_Alex turned on her heel and exited the common room without a retort, leaving Tom to stare blankly at the spot where she had previously stood._

_A couple of days later, the lineups for the Quidditch team had been posted, and Tom seethed. Alex had made the team... as a seeker._

_Whispers erupted in the common room upon seeing her name. A girl on the Slytherin Quidditch team? It was simply unheard of!_

_"Did I not say that you could not join the Quidditch team?" He snapped at her later that same night as she entered the near-empty common room. Alex merely brushed passed him, her face stoic. Tom reached out and grabbed her arms roughly, pulling her back to face him, and ignoring her wince. "How dare you disobey me!"_

_When Alex didn't answer, he shook her, "Answer me, Alex!"_

_"Do you care about me, Tom?"_

_Tom was taken aback by the sudden question, and the seriousness in his 'sister's' eyes._

_"Of... Course." He answered, but there was a sense of uncertainty to it. "You know you're important to me, Alex."_

_A sardonic smile crossed Alex's face, and she shook her head. "Somehow I doubt that. You can't even see how making the team means a lot to me."_

_Even Harry had been happy for her, and they were playing for different teams._

_"You could get hurt!" Tom hissed. "I won't allow it!"_

_"Too bad," Alex snarled, "because I'm playing whether you link it or no - eeek!" Alex squeaked when Tom suddenly pulled her close, his arms wrapping securely around her form. "Tom, what - ?"_

_"I can't stand to see you hurt." Tom said._

_Alex sighed, looking up at him. Ever so hesitantly, she placed a hand on his cheek, much like he so often did to her. "Hey," she said softly, her thumb brushing along his cheekbone. "I'll be fine."_

_Tom closed his eyes, leaning into her touch. She had never touched him like this before. It felt... good. Her hand was soft and warm against his cheek, and it sent tingles through him._

_His eyes snapped open when Alex's hand dropped from his cheek. He would never admit it, but he already missed the warmth of the contact._

_"Goodnight, Tom."_

_He never missed a single Quidditch after that, so long as Slytherin was playing._

* * *

_December 25, 1941_

_Tom sat in front of the fireplace, a book in hand. He and Alex had chosen to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas, like they always did. It really was a relief to be able to escape that bloody orphanage._

_He jumped slightly as something soft wrapped around his neck, then a pair of arms moved to rest in either shoulder. The touch was so familiar, yet so foreign, and never failed to send the heat jolting through him._

_"Merry Christmas!" Alex chirped cheerfully, and Tom could feel her her breath close to his ear. There was that odd feeling again. Was it him, or did his pants feel a tad bit tighter? "I know it's not much, but I hope you like it anyway."_

_Tom looked down at the woollen fabric around his neck. It was a green scarf with the Slytherin crest on it, and his name stitched on one corner. He knew then, that she had put some effort into this. Everyone else had simply gotten him books, one of which he had just been reading._

_"I haven't gotten you anything." Tom whispered, and Alex shrugged, plopping herself next to Tom on the couch._

_"Well, you can repay me by getting off your arse and go for a walk with me by the lake or the Quidditch pitch." She suggested cheekily. She made to stand, pulling him with her, when she found that she couldn't move. "What the - ?"_

_Tom wasn't listening. He was too busy staring at the plant hanging above their heads with undisguised shock. Then, he glanced down at Alex, who looked absolutely mortified._

_Enchanted mistletoe._

_"You know we have to." said Tom._

_Alex shook her head in protest, "We can't, Tom! It's just wrong!"_

_He cupped her head in his hands to keep her still and leaned forward. It was nothing more than a brush of their lips, but the sparks if electricity that coursed through them was intense. __Alex's eyes were wide with horror once Tom had pulled away, and hastily rushed back to the girls' dorms once she could move, the door slamming shut behind her._

_Tom remained still, his eyes closed in bliss. His heart was thudding painfully in his chest, and his blood seemed to heat up. The feeling was overwhelming, yet he wanted more. He craved more._

* * *

_January 15, 1942_

_She was avoiding him every chance she got, and she was certain he had noticed. It had been three weeks since the incident, and at that instant, something had changed between them. __And to think she had finally started warming up to the bloke. __She was such an idiot. __She was too deep in thought that she hadn't noticed where she was going, and bumped into someone as she turned the corner, falling right on top of the person._

_Alex scrambled off him at once, "Oh Merlin, I'm so sorry!"_

_"It's fine." The boy chuckled as he tried to stand, and Alex took that time to see who she had actually bumped into._

_Merlin's beard, he looked almost exactly like Harry, only with hazel eyes. He was lean, and had the same messy black hair, and wore round glasses, which have been knocked askew. She was beginning to think that the males in her lineage were cursed with messy hair and bad eyesight. There was no doubt this was Charlus Potter. Her grandfather._

_Alex bit her lip and held her hand out to help him, and Charlus accepted it with caution._

_"I'm really sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." said Alex sheepishly. She was actually talking to her grandfather! He looked to be the same age as her - how on earth had she missed his name at the sorting?_

_"No harm done. I'm Charlus Potter, by the way." he introduced._

_Alex gave a curt nod and smiled. "Alex Riddle." she took his hand, placing his glasses on his open palm, "You dropped this."_

_"Thanks," he chuckled, putting his glasses back on. "So you're the nice Slytherin Minerva was telling me about?"_

_"Nice? I always thought she'd call me temperamental."_

_"Well, she did mention you had a bad habit of hexing Amelia Parkinson."_

_Alex snorted, "She deserved it."_

_"Where were you heading anyway?" asked Charlus._

_"The Great Hall."_

_Charlus smiled, before he extended her arm out to her. "Then may I escort the lovely maiden to the Great Hall then?" Alex smiled, her hand reaching out to take his when..._

_"Alex!"_

_Both Alex and Charlus turned to see Tom striding towards them, and grabbing Alex's outstretched arm and pulling her close to him - away from Charlus. "Potter," he nodded curtly in greeting._

_"Riddle," Charlus returned the gesture, before turning to Alex, "I suppose I'll see you around."_

_Alex smiled at him as he walked off, and turned to glare at Tom. "What the bloody hell do you want?" she hissed._

_"I have something to show you." he told her, and dragged her to the direction of the library. She barely caught how Tom had glared heatedly at the Potter boy's back as they parted._

* * *

_May 16, 1942_

_He was so close, he could feel it! He was certain that Salazar's hidden chamber existed, but where it was hidden, boggled him immensely. He sighed as he set the book down. He and Alex had already thoroughly searched the library the past few months, but found nothing that could help them. So he had taken the liberty of asking his dorm mates for a few books from their family's personal library._

_He chuckled at the thought of his... followers. Funny what a simple Cruciatus curse could do._

_He glanced at his sister's sleeping form on the couch. She had her robes off, so he had a better view of her petite body. She had matured greatly since their first year. He knew it was wrong, but he found himself growing more... infatuated with her. He didn't think that it was possible for him to become attracted to the opposite gender - Alex had mocked him once for being asexual. And here he was, craving for his sister's touch. He absolutely adored her wit, her kindness, impulsiveness, even her temper. He relished the overwhelming sensations that coursed through him every time she touched him._

_He hadn't forgotten the kiss they had shared last Christmas. He wanted to do it again, but her reluctance was making it difficult for him._

_Alex stirred in her sleep, her skirt hitching up and exposing more of the smooth, creamy skin of her thighs. His pants tightened again. How he longed to have her exposed, writhing under him in pleasure. He could feel his member harden at the thought._

_Tom shook his head violently. No, he couldn't. This was Alex, his sister - his twin! It was very wrong to think of her in such a manner._

_But why did their kiss feel so right?_

* * *

_Back to the Present..._

Once the coast was clear, Alex exited the passageway with a sigh of relief. She was taken aback, however, when she found herself suddenly pressed against the wall, and her arms pinned to her sides by firm hands. She struggled, thinking it had been Tom, and kneed the bloke directly at his crotch.

The person doubled over in pain, grunting, "Bloody hell, Alex..."

Alex gazed down at him with wide eyes, a sob escaping her. She thought she would never see him again. Merlin, he was supposed to be dead! So what was he doing here?

"Blaise?"

* * *

**Oooh, cliffhanger! Sorry if it's pretty short. These were only meant to be snippets, and the actual present time story will come into play in the next chapter. Please review and tell me what you think!**

**~Cassandra**


	5. Chapter 5

**And here's the much awaited fifth chapter. And I've noticed that many of you guys have asked if Alex had returned to her own time - but she hadn't. Everything will explain Blaise's appearance in the last chapter.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

**Thank you for all the great comments and continuous support to my stories, guys! It means a lot!**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** Tom Riddle Jr./Alex Potter, mentions of Harry/Draco, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, Blaise/Daphne and Past!Alex/Theo

**Warnings:** Language, Character Death, Adult Scenes, False Twincest, Sadism

"Speaking"

_'Thoughts'_

**"Parseltongue"**

* * *

She knelt by him, taking his face in her trembling hands so she could look at him properly. For a moment, she had been afraid. What if it was someone else? An impostor? His grandfather? The latter was unlikely, though. She had already met the elder Zabini; and Blaise barely resembled him as the Slytherin boy had taken most of his looks from his mother.

He looked just as he did back in their fifth year, his dark, slanted eyes staring back at her in mirth once the pain in his nether regions had subsided. Alex offered him a watery smile, and he gave her a very familiar grin in return.

"Blaise..." she whispered, her voice barely suppressing her happiness, "It's you... It's really you..." Without warning, Alex wrapped her arms around his neck, engulfing him in a fierce hug.

Blaise chuckled, his own arms securing themselves tightly around the curve of her waist, "I missed you too, Allie."

_Allie_... Only four people ever called her that. This was Blaise, all right.

"H-How did you get here? How are you even alive?"

"Fate may be a bitch, but she can give second chances." said Blaise, pulling Alex away at arms length and keeping his hands on her shoulders. She was hysterical - overwhelmed. Was this real? Was Blaise really here? This wasn't just some cruel dream she was going to wake up from, was it?

Blaise smiled sadly, his thumb brushing away the tears streaming down her cheeks, "You're not dreaming, you know. It's sad that you think every good little thing happening to you is a dream."

Alex laughed breathily. "Blaise, this is hardly little. Heck, you're the best thing that's happened since I got landed here."

Blaise pressed his lips to her temple, "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner." he murmured, and Alex's smile widened the slightest bit. He wouldn't have been able to do so without Fate's consent either way.

_Thank you, Fate._ When was the last time she had felt this happy?

A disillusioned Tom glared at him from the alcove he had hidden himself in. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but seeing Alex so comfortable with this boy, seeing such a warm, unfamiliar smile on her face made his blood boil. Not once had she ever smiled at him in that manner - so full of love and genuine happiness. He wanted her to look at him the same way she looked at this stranger.

He cared for her greatly - loved her even. She was the only person in his life that he would ever be able to love, but his love for her went beyond the boundaries of brotherly love. He knew it was wrong, he knew she would be disgusted - her reaction when they had kissed that Christmas of their third year told him as much - but he didn't care. Didn't she see that he would never hurt her like all those other foolish boys that pine for her attention? He would not allow his precious sister to be tainted, or violated by any other male. No other man was worthy of her, of their bloodline. He would teach this stranger a lesson in touching what belonged to him.

* * *

Tom was in a sour mood, she could tell. He hadn't been speaking to her at all the passed couple of days. She admitted only to herself that she was a tad bit worried. An angry Tom was a dangerous Tom. Was he planning something? Was someone hurt? No, he would have been in a good mood otherwise. Did she do something?

Alex sighed as she took a seat next to Blaise at the Slytherin table. The odd glances her way, and the giggles amongst the Slytherin girls, did not escape her notice.

"What's got your knickers in a twist?" Blaise said as greeting.

Alex shrugged, a frown gracing her lips as she replied, her voice in a hushed whisper in case anyone was listening. "My 'brother' is in a sour mood and hasn't talked to me since the other day."

"Aww, ickle Allie miss the attention from her twin?" Blaise mocked in the same quiet tone, and Alex swatted his arm painfully.

"I'm used to him breathing down my neck, okay? To see him actually avoiding me is just so bizarre, and to top it off, he's bloody pissed. It worries me."

"Actually, I may have an idea as to why that is."

Alex's ears perked up, "What?"

"He's jealous that you're spending more time with me."

The ravenette scoffed at this, "Tom? Jealous? No bloody way, Blaise, that's ridiculous. What makes you say that?"

"Because he's looking at me like he's ready to _crucio_ me on the spot."

Blaise discreetly glanced a few seats away from them, Alex following his gaze. There, sat Tom, eyeing Blaise like he wanted to torture the Italian boy on the spot if there weren't so many witnesses. His eyes met hers, and his look softened considerably, offering Alex a curt nod before turning back to his dinner.

"Odd," remarked Alex, her brows scrunching together as she looked away.

"And to think you have to relive your whole life with this bloke." Blaise snickered. "Dealing with Potter is nothing compared to this." At Alex's pointed look, he added, "Well, I can't very well consider you a Potter now, can I? I'd have to remember to call you Riddle from now on."

In an instant, Alex's expression sobered, and Blaise had to stop himself from banging his head on the table.

"I miss him, Blaise. I miss all of them." she whispered, and Blaise held her hand under the table. He couldn't very well hug her in front of every one, now, can he? He noted how the future Dark Lord looked about ready to murder him for breathing the same air as her, and he couldn't allow that to happen. If he wanted to help Alex, he needed to stay off Voldemort's hit list.

"I know, _sorellina_. I know. But you have to calm down. You have a reputation to uphold." Blaise whispered back, a slight smile breaking out as Alex began muttering about 'biased arses'.

Tom's narrowed eyes sifted discreetly over to the two friends, more specifically the new boy, Blaise DeAngelo. Apparently, he was homeschooled, and his parents have allowed him to attend Hogwarts after much persuasion. Tom wouldn't think of him as much of a threat, if it hasn't been for his newfound friendship with his sister. He didn't like how close they were sitting next to each other.

When they moved to exit the hall, Tom followed briskly, and called out Alex's name. The ravenette jumped slightly in surprise, but offered him a sardonic smile as she saw him approaching them.

"So you finally decide to talk to me again?" she said, raising a fine eyebrow.

Tom's expression never faltered, but there was a hint of uneasiness in his dark green eyes. "Apologies, sister, I was busy."

Alex hummed, a dubious expression on her face, "Somehow I don't believe that. Now if you'll excuse me, brother, I need to show Blaise to our first class."

Blaise nodded politely, "Riddle."

"DeAngelo." Tom mimicked his actions.

Taking her friend by the hand, Alex moved back down the hall without so much as a backward glance, leaving Tom to glare at their backs.

* * *

"In a completely unrelated topic, what are your plans for this year?" Blaise lowered his tone further as they headed down to the dungeons for Potions.

Alex bit her lip in thought, "I don't know. He doesn't find the chamber until the end of the year. We'd have to get rid of the Basilisk before then."

"How did you and Potter kill it the first time?"

"Stabbed it with Gryffindor's sword." Alex winced at the memory. Harry had nearly died that night, and it hurt her to know she hadn't been able to do a thing about it.

Blaise started muttering, and she had a good idea of what he was talking about. How on earth would they kill the Basilisk now? They didn't have the sword. A killing curse maybe? Was the Basilisk even vulnerable to the unforgivables? Urgh, they needed to do research.

"We need to know more about the Basilisk before we go head first into the chamber. I'd have no problem in getting us in, but we need to be ready." said Alex. "Meet me in the library after classes?"

"Sounds like a plan." Blaise nodded, both entering the Potions classroom together. A few students were already present, most of them Gryffindors. "Oh, you've got to be bloody kidding me. Do they pair Slytherins and Gryffindors in all the potentially dangerous classes?"

"It would seem so."

Both seated themselves in the back of the class. If she was lucky, Slughorn wouldn't notice that Alex wasn't sitting next to Tom. And speaking of Tom, the Slytherin boy entered the classroom not too long after they had, his gaze narrowing briefly at the pair, before moving to sit on his usual spot at the front.

"You know Fate sent me here to help you, but I can't exactly do that if I'm on your brother's 'To Kill' list." Blaise whispered to her.

"And what do you expect me to do?"

"Talk to him. Distract him. Reassure him. Something!" Blaise hissed when the group seated behind Tom (which included Malfoy, Lestrange, Rosier, Nott, Mulciber and Avery) turned to look at them. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh." Alex's brows scrunched together when the group had turned away. "He's been gathering followers, and I can't catch him at it."

"Does he know that you know?"

"I think he does. But either way, he won't tell me a thing."

Slughorn took that moment to burst into the room, a jovial grin on his face. Next to Alex, Blaise resisted the urge to groan. He didn't like Slughorn very much. The man was foolish enough to bring an illegal potion - Amortentia no less - into a class which consisted of giggly teenage girls, some of who are Slytherins, who could have managed to snag a vile or two.

"Good morning students!" greeted the Potions Professor. "Like I've promised, today we'll be brewing the Draught of Living Death." Alex and Blaise shared a smirk. "Now the person sitting next to you will be your partner for today. Hop to it then!"

This was one of those times that Alex was grateful for Harry's recklessness, including trusting a dangerous book.

"I'll go get the ingredients and you set up?" Blaise asked, and Alex nodded in agreement.

Just when Blaise was out of hearing range, Slughorn decided to come over to her table. Alex's eyes widened in horror. _No no no! Go bother someone else, damn it!_

"Alexis, my dear girl!"

_GAAAAAHHHHH! GO AWAY!_

Alex forced a sweet smile on her face, "Hello Professor."

Slughorn looked puzzled, glancing between her and Tom. Alex picked up on his questioning gaze, "Sir, I was... helping out the new student. Blaise DeAngelo?"

"Ah, of course!" said Slughorn, a delighted smile creeping onto his face, "How nice of you, my dear."

Unfortunately for Blaise, he chose that moment to return. Seeing Slughorn at their table almost made him bail, if only the said Professor hadn't called him over, "Mr. DeAngelo!" Blaise bit back the urge to snap at the man as he moved to set down the ingredients. Slughorn was not deterred at his lack of response. "You are lucky, my boy. Alexis (Alex bit her lip angrily) here is one of my best students."

Blaise nodded wordlessly, rolling his eyes when the Professor finally left their table to move on to Tom's. "I swear, that man infuriates me in more ways than one." And in a lower tone, he added, "Wasn't he the one who told Riddle about Horcruxes?"

Alex nodded, warily eyeing the exchange between Slughorn and Tom before shaking her head, and moved to work on the potion, "Yes, he is. The less Tom knows about the Horcruxes, the less chance he has of making them. We'll have to find every book in the library on Horcruxes and get rid of them. Otherwise, he's curiosity would be spiked."

Blaise chuckled, raising an eyebrow knowingly at her, "Sounds like someone else I know."

"Shut up." Alex didn't look back up at him as she crushed the sopophorous bean with the edge of the blade, then moving to add five ounces of african sea salt to a beaker. "Harry and I are nothing like him."

"It's not a bad thing, you know. You have to admit though, you share a lot of similarities, minus the evil demented bit." said Blaise, slowly pouring all the water to their cauldron.

Alex hummed thoughtfully, then finally looked up as she finished measuring forty ounces of infusion of wormwood, "Two nights ago... how did you know it was me? I mean I don't look that different, I suppose, other than the hair... maybe my face... Oh, I don't know!" she said all this in hushed tones.

"Your eyes, _sorellina._ I only know two people with eyes like those." Blaise smiled, "Well, that and how you managed to fight me off without a wand. I recall you doing that to Draco once in our sixth year. And, well, do you really expect Fate to send me here and not know anything?"

"I guess not."

They were almost finished, Blaise moving to stir the potion seven times counterclockwise, when someone behind them spoke, "What are you two doing?"

Blaise ignored it as he continued to stir the potion, but Alex turned to meet Tom's forest eyes. "We're making the potion. What does it look like?"

"You're doing it wrong." said Tom. "The book says we have to stir it clockwise."

"The book's not always right you know." Alex crossed her arms, "Are you doubting my skill, brother?"

Tom sneered, "Not at all, sister. Just your ability to pay attention."

Alex glared at him, but looked away as Blaise nudged her side. The potion was now a lilac color, and Tom smirked as he noticed this, obviously thinking he had been right. Alex huffed and told Blaise, "Give it one stir clockwise." Blaise did as she said, all three watching as the potion turned a pale pink color, like it should be.

Alex turned to Tom, a smug expression on her face at his look of disbelief, "You were saying?" Tom didn't answer, and Slughorn chose that moment to return to their table. Honestly, that man has the absolute worst timing.

One look at their cauldron, and a look of glee crossed his face. "My goodness, it's perfect! Mr. DeAngelo, you have brilliant potioneer skills, my boy!"

"Well, I do have a great partner." Blaise smirked, Alex returning the gesture with a roll of her eyes.

Slughorn nodded, "Yes, yes. You two are a brilliant pair indeed. Tom, I believe you have some competition." he said to the boy lingering behind Alex and Blaise, then turned back to Blaise, "Mr. DeAngelo, I'd like to speak with you after class, if that's all right."

Alex began to snicker quietly when Blaise forced out a, "No problem, Professor." Her snickering increased just as Slughorn left, and Tom had followed after Avery had called him over.

"Oh put a cork in it, Alex."

"And here I thought you were trying to avoid the 'To Kill' list." Alex mused.

Blaise scoffed, "If I'd have known that's what would've happened if I'd partnered with you, I would have settled for Parkinson."

Alex mock glared at him, "I get you an O on this project and you're thinking of blowing me off for Parkinson? I'm hurt, Blaise."

"Ah, you'll get over it."

"You're unbelievable."

* * *

**And that's the chapter. Please review and tell me what you think!**

**~Cassandra**


	6. Chapter 6

**And here's the sixth chapter! What do you guys think? Will Tom and Alex make up? Will another argument start? Eh, read to find out!**

**Also, a little info on the broomsticks (yes, there's Quidditch talk in this chapter). The Comet Trading Company had begun in the year 1929, the first model being the Comet 140. Since it's already the year 1942, I think the Comet 180 would be appropriate, since Draco Malfoy had the Comet 260 in the first HP book.**

**Broom facts aside, be sure to also check out my new story (yes, I made another one) "Ice Princess". It's an HP, and Rise of the Guardians crossover, featuring Alex, of course.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

**Thank you for all the great comments and continuous support to my stories, guys! It means a lot!**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** Tom Riddle Jr./Alex Potter, mentions of Harry/Draco, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, Blaise/Daphne and Past!Alex/Theo

**Warnings:** Language, Character Death, Adult Scenes, False Twincest, Sadism

"Speaking"

_'Thoughts'_

**"Parseltongue"**

* * *

"Bloody hell, Alex! Just talk to him!" Blaise whispered in her ear, nudging Alex in Tom's direction, who was lounging on the couch in front of the fireplace, a book in hand. It was late, and Tom and his little followers were the only ones left in the common room besides them. It's been three days since the incident in Potions, and either twin had yet to speak to the other. Blaise had enough of it, the silence was getting them nowhere closer to their goal. "It's not like he's going to kill you."

Alex had to snort at the irony. The man had been hunting her and Harry the moment they had stepped foot in Hogwarts. Then, she shook her head at the thought. Tom and Voldemort were two different people. This Tom wasn't an evil, sadistic psychopath. _Yet,_ the voice in her head nagged, _Not unless we do something about it. _Was it her or did the voice sound a lot like Harry? But it was right. The other Tom Riddle had spent his life in isolation, never knowing or experiencing love and genuine happiness. She was sent back to teach him how to love, to keep him from becoming a merciless killer.

Ah bloody hell, it was like teaching Draco Malfoy how to be nice.

"Alex...?" Blaise's voice broke through her thoughts, and Alex sighed.

"Okay, okay. I'm going."

Blaise nodded, and whispered, "Good luck." The, he left for the boy's dorms.

Alex's nerves grew as she drew closer to where Tom was sitting, until she was standing directly behind him. Her heart was pounding so hard against her rib cage, she thought it was going to burst out of her chest any second. Slowly, she placed an arm on Tom's shoulder, wincing when he stiffened under her touch.

"Tom?" Alex spoke, glancing warily at the other boys gathered around her... err, brother. "Can we talk?"

Tom didn't relax his posture. "We have nothing to talk about. Now, aren't you supposed to be in the library with DeAngelo at this time?" Alex frowned. So Blaise had been right? Tom was mad, because she was spending all her time with Blaise.

"No," she answered softly, "I needed to talk with you."

Tom said nothing, merely shrugging her hand of his shoulder as he stood, and moved towards the boy's dorms, but Alex reached for his hand, stopping him in his tracks. Tom glanced at their joined hands, then up at Alex's pleading eyes. "Tom, please." Alex nearly sighed with relief when Tom nodded.

"Leave." Tom told the rest of the boys, and they wordlessly complied. Alex caught Abraxas' eye, and he nodded to her in acknowledgement, before disappearing with the rest of the boys to their dorm.

Abraxas was like his grandson in many ways - or rather, it was the other way around. They were snide, prideful, bigoted pureblood arseholes that didn't know when to keep their mouths shut, but they had their moments. They were both loyal and protective of people they considered to be good friends.

"So," said Tom, once they were alone, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I'm sorry, okay?" Alex blurted out, her voice cracking slightly from the nerves she had kept in. "I'm sorry for ignoring you these passed couple of days."

Tom's emotionless mask didn't waver. "Is that all?" he asked stiffly.

Alex's anger flared, "What do you mean 'is that all'? What else do you want me to say?"

"I want you to say that you would stay away from DeAngelo." Tom snapped, his features twisting in irritation.

"You know I can't do that. Blaise is my friend, Tom. What, I can't have other friends, and you can?" Alex bit back.

"You can have other friends, Alex. _Female_ friends." said Tom, "DeAngelo is only going to end up hurting you. He's only using you, like he did that day in Potions."

Alex's glare faltered slightly at his words, "So you're saying that the only reason that the only reason a boy would talk to me is because I would help them with _lessons_? Is that it?"

"No, that's not it at all!" Tom protested, and let out a frustrated sigh, "Alex... I - I'm sorry... I..."

A small smile graced Alex's lips, and she stepped closer to him, "You're jealous."

"Yes."

"Why?" she asked him.

"Because." Tom hissed.

"That's not an answer."

"I do not have to answer to you!" Tom snapped, taking a step closer, so he was towering over his twin.

"Nor do I have to listen to you." Alex retorted, "So unless you have a good reason -"

"I don't want you to leave me."

Alex blinked in surprise at the sudden confession, and the honest expression on Tom's face. Tom was never one to show weakness, but as Alex relived her whole life with him, she had learned to see through his facade. She had already known that he was not the innocent boy he had made out to be. Seeing a whole different side of him was just odd, someone totally different to who she had seen in the memories Dumbledore had showed them.

Alex bit back a sneer at the thought of the old man. She had run into him on occasion, but had never actually bothered to speak to him. He had treated her and Tom like ticking time bombs ready to go off at any moment, ignored them and the rest of Slytherin when they had accomplished something in his class. If that wasn't favoritism, Alex didn't know what it was.

"Tom," Alex spoke gently, lifting her free hand to caress his cheek. It had become a habit of hers, much like when she used to grip Harry's hand whenever either of them was nervous. "I'm not going to leave you alone, okay? I promise I won't." she told him, moving her hand to rest on his shoulder.

Tom let out a breath, lips curving upwards ever so slightly as he lifted her hand which was still intertwined with his, gently pressing his lips to her knuckles, all the while staring at her with half-lidded eyes. "Alex... sleep with me tonight?"

Alex's eyebrows shot up, "Excuse me?"

"Sleep with me in the dorms. We've shared a bed before, it won't be any different now." said Tom, and Alex shook her head.

"Tom, what will your dorm mates say when they all wake up to me sleeping on your bed?" she told him, "Besides, I'm certain that Amelia and Eileen would notice me gone. Bloody gossip queens, they are."

"Such foul words. It's unladylike, you know." Tom tutted in admonishment.

"You of all people would know that I am not ladylike in the least." Alex smirked as she stepped away from him, "Now if you'll excuse me, brother, I have Quidditch practice tomorrow, early morning. I'm sure Orion would not appreciate tardiness."

* * *

"I see you and Tom have made up." Evan Rosier commented as he trudged down to the pitch with Alex and the rest of their team mates, noticing the girl's lighter mood. Alex glanced at him from the corner of her eye, her mouth curving into a frown as she held her broom over her shoulder, a Comet 180. It had been a gift from Abraxas after she had joined the Quidditch team two years ago. Tom had been furious, of course, and had nearly set the broom on fire in his rage.

"Yes, we have." she answered stiffly, "Is there a problem, Evan?"

"Not at all." Rosier added hastily, "It's just that you and Tom seem to be in a better mood than either of you have been in the past few days."

"We've had a bit of a... disagreement."

"We've noticed." Abraxas commented dryly, "Your brother has been in a right sour mood because of that DeAngelo bloke."

"I share a room with him." said Edmund Lestrange, "He's a pretty nice fellow, though a bit on the quiet side."

Alex hummed thoughtfully, only paying half attention as she spotted Tom in the stands. She raised an eyebrow at him inquisitively as she caught his gaze. Tom only smirked in response.

_Bloody overprotective wanker_, she internally sighed, mounting her broom and kicking off the ground. It wasn't long before she was joined by the Blacks, Cygnus and Orion.

Cygnus was a year above her, and as far as she knew, was engaged to her dorm mate, Druella Rosier, Evan's sister. Orion was their Quidditch captain, and was two years above her. She had also recognized him to be Sirius' father. The resemblance was uncanny, but his demeanor clearly lacked the playfulness that Sirius possessed.

Sirius... she would save him, along with her parents and Remus, like she had sworn to. Harry would have the family he had always wanted. He would be happy.

"Alex!"

Alex swerved on her broom as a bludger whizzed passed her, missing her head by inches, and glared at the offender. "ROSIER!" she snarled, "Do that again and I promise you a month in the Hospital Wing!"

But what about her? She had Blaise. And Tom.

But could she stand to her other half smile, with someone else in her place?

She didn't know.

* * *

Blaise set down the large tome he had been reading with a grin on his face, "Well, we've checked nearly every book on Basilisks that we could get our hands on, and nothing says that a Basilisk in invulnerable to Unforgivables."

"Nothing states that they are vulnerable to it either." Alex pointed out, "I don't know about you, Blaise, but I don't want to risk dying in that chamber."

"I don't think it can kill you. Your an Heiress of Slytherin now, remember? His blood running through your veins. You can take bloody control of the thing!" Blaise exclaimed in a hushed tone.

Alex scoffed, "Yeah, but for how long? Once he finds the Chamber, Tom could still set the thing loose in the school without my consent."

"Right," Blaise muttered, his grin dropping. "Ah bloody hell, this is hard. Why did Riddle let the bloody thing out anyway?"

"To kill off muggleborns." Alex frowned, "It makes no sense though. If he hated muggleborns so much, why'd he consider sparing mum even if he knew she was muggleborn? And his little group knows about our blood status. They just overlooked the fact because we're descendants of Slytherin."

"Allie..." Blaise began slowly, "Dumbledore suspected Riddle right after the Myrtle's murder. He knew about Riddle's heritage the moment he met you guys. What if... what if Myrtle dying had been an accident? Or planned?"

"The first Horcrux!" Alex muttered in realization, "Dumbledore wanted Myrtle to die, so Tom could create the first Horcrux!"

"One thing leads to another." Blaise remarked. "Why are you calling him Tom now anyway?"

Alex ignored him, "We have to get to the Chamber first. If we can't keep the Basilisk in there, the least we can do is make sure it doesn't kill anyone."

Blaise sighed, watching his best's friends emerald eyes glint in determination. _Merlin help us._

When the duo had entered the common room later that night, Alex's gaze immediately drifted to Tom, who was in his usual spot in front of the fireplace, and scowled.

His followers were with him again, but that isn't what was bothering her. Amelia Parkinson was there, hanging off Tom's arm like a puppy begging for attention. Well, the pug nose was fitting, not to mention convenient. Blaise followed his friend's gaze and chuckled.

"Go already." he told her, "Just don't kill the chit."

Alex stared at Blaise's retreating back in confusion, and shook her head before approaching the group.

"Boys." she greeted them, glancing briefly at Amelia. "Hands off my brother, Parkinson."

Alex mentally shuddered, _Well that's something I never thought I'd say._

Amelia scowled at her, and pulled away, crossing her arms across her chest.

Tom looked up at her and gave a small grateful smile as she took a seat next to him on the couch, slinging an arm over her shoulder. "Alex. How was the tutoring session with DeAngelo?"

"Productive, as per usual." said Alex, then glancing down at the book she had just noticed was resting on his lap, "Moste Potente Potions? What are you reading that for?"

"Just a little side-project." said Tom as the group fell into silence once more.

The boys had barely noticed as Amelia, tired of being ignored, stormed away from the group in a huff. Alex bit her lip at this, desperately trying to conceal the smirk that was threatening to show.

* * *

**Yay, they made up! And what's this? Dumbledore's on the move again! The last scene here was just a filler. XD**

**I'm sorry for the extremely late update guys. I'll try to make the next chapter as soon as possible. I'll be updating my other stories as well, so don't you worry! I'm not abandoning any of them.**

**~Cassandra**


	7. Chapter 7

**Guys, please check out my story "Ice Princess". It's an HP, and Rise of the Guardians crossover, featuring Alex, of course.**

**And I've also posted a new Rise of the Guardians fic, "Stockholm Syndrome". Please check it out, and tell me if I should continue with it.**

**AvalonTheLadyKiller - Thank you so much for the review, love! It really got me brainstorming. So, I dedicate this chapter to you; I hope you enjoy it! :)**

**Thank you for all the great comments and continuous support to my stories, guys! It means a lot!**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter; it all belongs to J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers Inc. However, I do own Alex.

**Pairings:** Tom Riddle Jr./Alex Potter, mentions of Harry/Draco, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, Blaise/Daphne and Past!Alex/Theo

**Warnings:** Language, Character Death, Adult Scenes, False Twincest, Sadism

"Speaking"

_'Thoughts'_

**"Parseltongue"**

* * *

Alex glanced around the lavatory; nothing much has changed other than the silence, and the lack of toilet water on the floor. It felt odd without Myrtle's overbearing presence and constant whining. Then, Alex's gaze rested warily on the sink in front of her. This was it, the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. Fear bubbled in the pit of her stomach. What if the Basilisk didn't listen to her? What if she accidentally set it loose and kill someone?

"You ready, _sorellina_?" said Blaise as he strode into the lavatory.

"Not really," said Alex, "What if someone comes in?"

Blaise waved off her concern, "Nothing a modified Room-sealing charm, and Notice-me-not charm couldn't fix."

"Right," Alex shook her head, glancing briefly at Blaise, "Close your eyes, and don't open them until I tell you." Blaise nodded, doing as she said, and Alex turned back to the sink. She let out a deep breath, and hissed, "**Open.**"

The tap glowed with a brilliant white light and began to spin. Next second, the sink began to move; the sink sank to the floor, leaving a large pipe exposed, a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into.

"Bloody hell." she heard Blaise mutter in astonishment.

She turned to glare at him, "I thought I said to keep your eyes shut."

Blaise chuckled, shutting his eyes once more just as they heard something large move against the pipes. There was a 'clang' followed by the sound of crushing bones that both teens had to wince at. "**I smell humans...**" Alex's breath hitched as the Basilisk's hissing reached her ears, eyes widening as it slowly slid out the pipe... and their eyes met.

Seconds ticked by as emerald eyes met bright yellow ones, a small smile forming on Alex's face. She was still alive. "**Greetings Mistress.**" the Basilisk hissed.

"**Hello, majestic one.**" Alex replied, "**Do you have a name?**"

"**Yes mistress. My name is Kronos. I thank you for freeing me.**" The Basilisk, Kronos, tolted his head into a slight bow.

"**Kronos, I must know, did Salazar keep you here to rid the school of muggleborns?**" asked Alex, trying not to flinch when Kronos bared his fangs in anger.

"**My master did no such thing! I was kept here as a form of protection for the students!**"

"**I come here with a purpose Kronos.**" said Alex, "**One of the teachers in this school, he has a plot. He wants my brother to release you from the chamber, in order to kill a student and create an extremely dark artifact.**"

"**How dare this human go against the foundation of the school!**" snarled Kronos, "**Who is he, Mistress? I shall rid him from the walls of Hogwarts, with your permission.**"

"**NO!**" Alex protested at once. "**We must be discreet. I am on a mission, Kronos, and I need the old man alive.**" She then gestured to Blaise, who still had his eyes closed, "**This is my friend, Blaise. You are not to harm him, understood?**"

Kronos nodded, and just like that, shut his eyes, the bright yellow orbs no longer visible.

"Blaise, you can look now."

Blaise's eyes snapped open, and he gaped at the sight of the giant snake before him. He had never seen it before, as he had never been down to the chamber, but Alex had described how the monster in the chamber had looked, but this was more than he had pictured. The snake was _huge_!

"All those bloody history books were wrong." Blaise blinked and turned to his friend questioningly. Alex continued, "Salazar didn't leave him hear to kill muggleborns. It was all a misunderstanding. Kronos is here for protection."

"Kronos?" asked Blaise.

"That's his name." shrugged Alex. "We better go. Free period's almost up."

Blaise snorted, "Yeah, don't want to give Dumbledore a reason to take off points for being late."

"**Kronos, stay in the chamber. I shall be back soon with food for you.**" hissed Alex as she and Blaise moved to leave, "**And please, mention nothing of our talk to my brother. You shall be meeting him next time.**"

"**Yes Mistress.**" replied Kronos, slinking back into the chamber with a slight bow.

"Did anyone ever tell you that Parseltongue sounds bloody creepy?" said Blaise as they exited the girl's lavatory, and removed the charms.

"Ron Weasley did once. Says it scared the crap out of him when Harry used to talk in his sleep." said Alex, a fond smile on her face as she thought of her brother, and her friend.

Blaise glanced at his best friend, and nearly winced at the guilt that churned in his stomach. _I'm sorry, Allie. I'm so sorry._

* * *

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you at all during free period." asked Tom as Alex took a seat next to him at the back of the Transfiguration classroom, glancing briefly at Blaise, who had entered the room right after her and taking a seat up front. Tom's tone was one of suspicion, "I haven't seen DeAngelo either. What have you both been doing?"

Alex blinked at his accusatory tone. He thought that she... and Blaise... and... oh, that's just wrong!

"Before you jump into any conclusions, it's not what you think." Alex defended. "I don't like Blaise that way, thank you."

Tom raised an eyebrow, unconvinced, "Then what is it?"

Alex hesitated for a moment, then reached for his hand, holding it tightly in hers. Tom paid it no mind, staring at her expectantly. Alex answered in a hushed tone, as to not be overheard when Dumbledore had entered the room, "I have to show you something after class, but you have to promise me that you won't do anything without my consent."

Tom's confusion escalated, "What?"

"Promise me, Tom." Alex insisted, her emerald eyes pleading.

Tom's forest green ones softened, "I promise."

"Mr. Riddle, Miss Riddle, do you have something to share with the class?" Dumbledore called from the front of the classroom. Alex stiffened in her seat, and Tom interlocked their fingers, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Nothing, Professor." Tom answered smoothly.

"Then I suggest you both pay attention. Ten points from Slytherin."

Tom was indifferent to the point deductions, and the smug looks from the Gryffindors - save for Charlus and Minerva, who both sent Alex looks of sympathy. But Alex had missed it as she glowered at the Transfiguration Professor's back. Tom gave her hand another squeeze, his lips twitching slightly.

"I hope you remember the spell we had covered last week. The incantation is _Aguamenti_." said Dumbledore, "I want all of you to accomplish this spell by the end of the lesson." With a wave of his wand, goblets appeared on the desk in front of them.

It was no surprise to Alex when Tom had gotten it on the first try. "_Aguamenti_." A jet of water shot out of his wand, filling the goblet to the rim. Alex rolled her eyes when Tom smirked at her.

"Bloody perfectionist." muttered Alex, pulling her hand away from Tom's and rolling up the sleeve of her robe, "_Aguamenti._" Water shot out of Alex's wand, but instead of filling the goblet, the spell hit Abraxas, who was sitting in front of them with Lestrange, behind the head, drenching his platinum blonde hair. Abraxas yelped, and turned to glare at the pair of them.

"Whoops." Alex chuckled, not sounding the least bit sorry. Tom tried to look disapproving, but a smirk still graced his lips at the look of absolute shock and annoyance on his follower's face.

"Ah, well done Miss McGonagall!" said Dumbledore. The three Slytherins immediately shifted their attention to their Professor. He was smiling proudly at the Gryffindor girl, Minerva McGonagall, who was beaming at his praise.

Alex took that moment to study her future Professor. She looked nothing like the stern woman Alex had known and respected. She was just a student, like everybody else, and clearly one that Dumbledore immensely favored. She was also nice, and a bit of a bookworm and stickler for the rules, reminding Alex of Hermione. Minerva and Tom were the smartest students in the year, and Alex was peeved to find that Dumbledore had paid Tom's accomplishments no mind. And he had the nerve to scold Snape about favoritism?

_Probably doing it on purpose._ Harry's voice hissed in her mind, making Alex pause in thought. She had been hearing his voice a lot frequently, more so than her previous years. Why?

Tom sombered and glared down at his desk, and Alex glanced at him. A couple of hours - only a couple more hours until classes ended, and she would show him the chamber... right after she found Kronos some ferrets to feast on. Poor snake must be starving.

* * *

"Alex! Wait up!"

Alex glanced over her shoulder, irritation swimming in her eyes as she saw who was coming towards her. Rosalind Vine, one of the many Gryffindors who had a crush on her brother, and wouldn't stop pestering her about him.

She mentally scoffed at the thought. Fat chance. They needed her approval first, much like any male that wanted to date her needed Tom's approval, which meant she'd never be able to have a boyfriend.

"Vine, what is it you needed?"

"I need to know, does your brother prefer blondes or brunettes? Or maybe redheads? There's this new witch product that -"

"Ah, well honestly, I just don't think he has one, but -"

Rosalind cut her off with a rather high pitched squeal, "Oh, he's just so adorable! Is he seeing anyone? Do you think you could hook me up?"

At this, Alex forced a smile on her face, her wand hand twitching. _Don't hex her. You have an image to keep up. You can't hex her._ "Ummm... Can we talk about this some other time? I have something important to do."

Rosalind's face fell in disappoigo net, but it was gone as soon as she blinked, "No problem!" She said brightly, "See you around?"

"Sure?" Alex responded after a moment's hesitation, relieved when Rosalind finally walked away, and she rolled her eyes discreetly, muttering under her breath as she headed out the castle, towards the forest. "Bloody fan girls. Tom better be grateful."

* * *

Alex dropped the sack by a stall, and let out an exhausted breath. She didn't know how Hagrid managed to catch a whole loads of ferrets back in third year with Sirius. Those things could run. Draco should have taken the ferret thing as a compliment. Scourgifying her robes, Alex glanced warily around the lavatory. She had told Tom to meet her here after dinner. She just hoped he wouldn't bring his little group with him.

"Alex? Are you all right?" Sighing, Alex met Tom's confused and curious eyes as he strode further into the lavatory, "You missed dinner."

"I had to take care of something." Alex shrugged off the concern, "I'll get some food in the kitchens later."

Tom shook his head, "Now, what is it you wanted to show me?"

"I want you to answer my questions first." Alex said seriously, looking at her brother dead in the eyes, "Why haven't you told me you have been gathering followers?" Tom met her gaze steadily, but didn't answer. "Why are you keeping me in the dark, Tom? What are you hiding from me?"

She was met with silence.

...

...

...

"Don't you trust me?" Tom finally asked.

"You're not giving me a reason to." Alex replied, "But you know I don't like it when you keep things from me. Just like that incident with Billy Stubbs back at the orphanage when we were twelve."

Tom froze, and Alex smiled bitterly, "You didn't think I would remember, did you? Billy tried to kiss me while I was in the garden, when you came and set the snakes on him, and unintentionally obliviated me. You didn't mean to, but it worked in your favor anyway."

"I did it for your own good. I did it to protect you, Alex." said Tom, taking her hands in his, and placing a kiss on her knuckles. "No one else is going to touch you, or hurt you."

"I want in."

"No." came Tom's firm response, but Alex's decision was resolute.

A smirk played on Alex's lips as she pulled Tom with her to stand in front of the sink, her smirk turning into a full out mischievous grin as the confusion showed on Tom's face. Alex stood next to him, facing the sink and hissed, "**Open.**"

Tom's eyebrows shot up in surprise as the sink lowered, and revealed the large pipe. Excitement welled up in his chest, and he turned to Alex with slightly wide eyes, "Is it...?"

Alex nodded, not taking her eyes off the pipe hole, waiting, "This is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets."

* * *

**DUN DUN DUUUUN! So to cover up this chapter... Blaise is feeling guilty about something, Dumbledore is a biased, hypocritical arse, and Alex finally decides to show Tom the chamber. What will Kronos think of Tom? Will Dumbledore find out about the opening of the chamber?**

**Ah, Kronos is having ferret for dinner. Sorry, I had to put that bit in there. XD**

**Sorry if the chapter's a bit short. it's only meant to be some sort of filler. I promise the next one would be a bit longer.**

**~Cassandra**


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